Latch mechanism



L. A. ROBERTS LATCH MECHANISM July 25, 1939.

Filed March 7, 1938 V "I: PL y 2 Patented July '25, 1939 LATCH MECHANISM Louie-A. Roberts, Jackson, Miss, assignor of onethird to Charlie W. Roberts, Jackson, Miss.

Application March-7, 1938, Serial No. 194,499-

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in-latch mechanism. .7 The prime object of the invention is to;provide a combined handle and latch; actuating 5." means for-first operating the latch and subsequently opening or closing the door.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and unique combined handle and latch actuator.

10 A further object of the invention is to provide a new and novel latch capable of operation when opening a. door and having associate means for manual operation to prevent opening of a door.

The invention also comprehends improvements 15 in the details of construction and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improve- 20 ment applied, with parts broken away to illustrate the details of construction.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same. Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 2. 25 Figure 4 is a detail view of a different form.

Numeral l indicates a door frame and 2 a door. Pivoted at 3 on the inside of the door frame is a latch 4, the free outer. end of which is rounded and extends beyond the frame, and in 30 its projected lower edge is a notch 5. The rear end of the latch is provided with a finger piece 5 to. manually release the latch when it is desired to open the door from the inside. A spring 6 is attached at one end to the latch and at its 35 opposite end to the door frame to normally tilt the front end of the latch downwardly.

Pivoted at l to the inner end of the latch is a locking device I. This device at its lower end is provided with a locking lug 8, which cooper- 40 ates with a stud 9 extending from the frame. The device is also provided with a finger piece 1 to move it into or out of cooperative relation with the stud 9. A stop It] on the latch limits the movement of the locking device in one direction.

45 The combined handle and latch operating element comprises a fixed plate ll, secured to the door, and a handle member l2. The upper end of the plate II is formed with a bead [3, which extends beyond the edge of the door to engage 5 in the slot formed in the latch lever; Ears l4 and l5 respectively extend toward each other from the plate II and handle member 12, and a pin l5 extends through the ears to provide a hinge between the two elements.

55 The lower end of the fixed plate I l is angularly (Cl- 292254) bent to form a stop IS. The lower end of the.

handle member I2 is curved or bent inwardly. to form a pocket to receive the angularly bent end l6 of'the plate ll. 7

The upper end of the handle member is formed 5 Witha beadl'l similar to the bead I3 on the fixed. v plate'l I and is parallel therewith. Like" the bead I3, bead ll extends beyond the edge of the door and engages the rounded edge of the latch lever 4 to actuate the latter when the handle member 10 is operated. A spring I9 is interposed between the plate I l and handle member to normally force the upper end of the handle member away from the bead H. The outward movement of the handle member at the lower end thereof is limited by the angular end l6 of the plate II.

In operation, when it is desired to open the door from the outside, the handle member is grasped and pulled out which rocks the handle on its pivot and forces the bead I! against the curved edge of the latch-4, and tilts the latter on its pivot 3 against the tension of spring 6, and permits of the door being opened.

Tilting of the latch disengages it from the bead l3 and frees the door for opening. The locking device I of course at this time is positioned so that it is up against the stop it! and its lug 8 is out of engagement with the stud 9.

In closing the door, the extended end of the bead I1 engages the rounded end of the latch 4 and lifts same until the notch 5 is reached and then because of the tension of spring 6, the extended end of bead I3 is engaged in the notch to hold the door closed.

When it is desired to open the door from the inside, the finger piece 5 is pressed downwardly which tilts the latch and frees the bead l3 from notch 5.

To look the latch, finger piece 1 of the locking device is depressed to tilt the device on its pivot until its lower edge rides over the stud 9 which of course prevents the latch 4 being tilted on its pivot and prevents the door being opened.

The locking device is frictionally mounted on the latch so as to prevent it accidentally being turned to prevent opening of the door from the outside. To accomplish this friction relation, the metal around the pivot I is cupped as at 1 so as to regulate the friction between the parts.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figure 4, the latch 4 is shown as reversible. That is at its outer free end it is provided with oppositely disposed notches 5 5 opposite pivot openings; a stop I0 opposite finger pieces T and a pivoted reversible catch 1. By this con- 5 actuates the latch and abuts against the upper struction the catch can conveniently be located on the right or left hand side of the door frame to cooperate with the beads l3 and I1.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a simple and novel form of combined handle and latch operating means, and have at the same time provided a unique and novel latch to coop erate with the handle, and one which can be used on either side of a door frame.

What I claim is:

l. Latching means comprising a pivoted latch formed on its outer free end with a cam edge and a notch, a fixed plate with its upper end extending beyond a door to which said plate is attached to engage in the notch, a handle element pivoted tothe plate, the upper end of the handle element extending beyond the edge of the door and in line with and adapted to contact with the upper end of the plate to engage the cam edge of the latch, the lower end of the plate being bent to form a stop, the lower end of the handle element being bent inwardly to form a pocket for the reception of the stop to limit the movement of said element, whereby when the handle element is operated the upper end first beaded end of the plate, the stop limiting the movement of the handle element in opening the door.

2. Latching means comprising a latch pivoted at its rear end and formed on its front edge with a cam and a notch below the cam, a plate adapted to be fixed to a door, the upper end of the plate being extended laterally in the direction of the latch to cooperate with the notch in the latch, the plate having forwardly extended ears below the laterally extended upper end, a handle element having ears pivotally attached to the ears on the plate, the upper end of the handle element extending laterally toward the latch and adapted to cooperate with the cam on the latch to operate the same, means provided between the lower end of the plate and. the lower end of the handle element to limit the outward movement of the handle element when grasping the latter to engage the cam edge of the latch and elevate the same to disengage said latch from the upper edge of the plate, and a spring to normally separate the upper ends of the latch and plate, said spring being interposed between the handle element and. the plate and between the ears and the upper ends of said plate and handle element.

' LOUIE A. ROBERTS. 

